Gary Barlow is to sing in the new Compare the Market advert alongside stuffed meerkat Aleksandr Orlov and some of Coronation Street's regulars

The 'X Factor' judge teamed up with stuffed meerkat Aleksandr Orlov and spent the weekend on the set of 'Coronation Street' in Manchester shooting scenes for the money comparison site after the company paid out a staggering six-figure sum for his services.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Gary got asked a while back if he fancied being part of their new adverts.

"He thought it would be a great idea. It's all a bit of fun and of course the giant pay cheque for a weekend's work didn't do any harm."

The Take That singer was seen wearing exercise gear as he pranced around with some of the ITV soap's regular faces as they filmed a new set of adverts, which will replace the existing footage and be shown before, during and after the programme.

The source explained: "There is no obvious link between the adverts and Gary. The ad will see him star alongside some of the 'Corrie' regulars and the stuffed meerkats. Viewers will also get to hear him rattle out a tune."

Gary took to the social networking site Twitter on Saturday (21.09.13) to tell fans he was in the city but remained tight-lipped why he was there.

He wrote: "In Manchester filming today! Always nice to be back up north!"